When consumers purchase products, such as drinks, in disposable containers, there is currently no simple and quick method for differentiating between the various containers. For example, if a mother buys a six-pack of bottled water for the family, or a coach purchases dozens of bottles of a sports drink for a team, all the bottles are typically identical. The consumer, for example a child or a team member, does not always drink the entire contents of the bottle immediately or may eventually refill the bottle.
However, when, for instance, the bottles are left in the refrigerator, on a countertop, or on the side of a field, and the prior drinker from one of the bottles returns, it is difficult to determine which bottle belongs to the drinker. While it is possible to mark up the bottle in some way, this is not always practical or remembered, and any indicia placed on the bottle may come off, be inconsistent, or not noticed by another drinker. The problem is especially acute when one of the drinkers is sick or the bottle contains medicine. In such cases, it is extremely important to match up the bottle with the prior drinker or owner, in order to prevent the spread of germs and/or to ensure that the correct dosage of medicine is ingested.
While various inventions exist to allow for the selection of indicia on a bottle, such inventions provide indicators which can be willfully changed and/or are not suitable for exhibiting a selectable display of ownership. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,299,701 to Barker et al. teaches an indicator cap where a number is selectable; however, the cap is designed for frequent number changes. In another example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,059,133 to Lai teaches a cap with selectable shapes or numbers where, again, the selection may be freely altered. These inventions and others lack the ability to designate an owner throughout the usage of the bottle, without fear of another person simply re-designating ownership.
Thus, there is a need for a device which is inexpensive to manufacture and procure that can be placed on bottles and other objects of limited duration use, by which ownership, purpose of use, or other indicia may be selected to prevent others from changing the ownership designation.